A Blog About Stock Photography. John specializes in shooting stock photos including a mix of funny animal pictures with anthropomorphized pets (including dogs, cats, cows, elephants, monkeys and more), and concept stock photos for business and consumer communications. John's site includes interviews with photographers and leaders in the stock photo community as well as numerous articles on photography, digital imaging, and the stock photo business.

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Roller Coasters, Business And Stock Photos

A roller coaster filled with screaming business people hurtles down a track in a humorous business stock photo.

Roller Coasters And
Business

Like roller coasters, businesses have their up and downs.
The Stock market certainly has its ups and downs. Every industry goes through
its cycles, and there are a lot of businesses that offer products, services and
guidance to help both individuals and businesses, small and large, to either
avoid, weather or even thrive on the up and down challenges they are sure to
face.

The Ups And Downs of
Business

It makes perfect sense then to create imagery that such
businesses can use to advertise and promote those products and services, and
images that magazines, blogs, and online news services can use to illustrate their
offerings around such issues. It was with exactly that need to illustrate those
ups and downs of business that prompted me to create an image of a rollercoaster populated with terrified, screaming executive type business people in the middle of a rapid
descent.

Flexible, Timeless
Stock Photos

The message is clear and a quick read even at small
thumbnail sizes and the image stands up to large reproduction including
billboard sizes. I composed the photo to allow for cropping to square, vertical
or horizontal formats while allowing ample copy space for headlines, body copy,
and even inset photos.Part of
what makes a successful image is the ease and flexibility with which it can be
used by art directors, graphic designers and photo editors. Another aspect of
this photo that works to its advantage as a stock image is that there really
isn’t much to date it. Roller coasters will probably look like, well, roller
coasters for a long time, and casual business attire doesn’t really change much
either. Another important aspect of the image is fun. The inherent humor helps
the image be memorable and compelling.

Creating Business
Concept Images

To create this business concept image I first went to an
amusement park and photographed a roller coaster, focusing in fairly tightly on
the first two cars. I specifically looked for cars that were mostly empty to
facilitate the Photoshop work I would have to do. The next step was to find the
nine models I would need, which I did using SF Casting.com. I had each model
come in to the studio and photographed them from a ladder to get the correct
perspective. As long as I had them I also photographed each of them for a
series of other images I knew I would be making…have to be efficient these
days! Each model was hired for $35.00 an hour digital files for their
portfolios, with a two-hour minimum. I had a list of at least a dozen scenarios
for each model.

Royalty Free In Blend
Images

It took about a day in total to do the Photoshop work. I
stripped each of the models out by making a clipping path, turning the path
into a selection, refining the selection using the refine brush on the hair. I
put them into the roller coaster cars using puppet warp for small positioning
adjustments. I also used a sky that I had photographed years earlier in the
desert (while at Burning Man…everyone should go once).Because it is the type of image that I
think can be used by a large audience for multiple uses I put it into BlendImages as a Royalty Free image. Who the hell named RF images Royalty Free any way?
But I digress.

Hanging On For Dear
Life

This rapidly descending roller coaster car filled with
terrified executives could be a poster image for the stock photo industry! As
an aside, we stock shooters have to remember that like a roller coaster, if we
hang on long enough we should be fine.

This image has been licensing well for a couple of years now
(and seldom fails to sell at least once a month). Someday I will check on the
revenue and be pleasantly surprised to see that it has earned many thousands of
dollars…at least that is what I am planning on…in the mean time…I am hanging on
for dear life!

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